Pics of the cutest baby ever!!! (I'm not biased at all...)

Lainey had her first visit to Kiddie Kandids yesterday. It took her a little while to warm up, but when she did, we got some way cute photos!

Quick Update

Hey! So it has been a long long time since I updated and I thought I'd let you all know what has been happening in our crazy lives lately. We moved out of the basement of my in-laws and into their twin-home rental on the 2nd of January. It has been absolutely crazy getting everything unpacked but I am feeling at home now. It has been a little interesting getting back into the whole 'living on our own' thing again, but Josh is wonderful and really does help out alot. Lainey loves her new room and her new space and Josh and I are loving having a separated kitchen/living room/bedroom, not to mention a finished bathroom... Lainey loves having a bathtub too. Over the last month she has gone from being a baby to a toddler. She is now almost 20 months, and is talking up a storm! Josh and I love every minute that we get to spend with her. She refers to herself as 'Laineybaby' and uses that whenever she wants us to give her something. She has also learned the word 'mine' which is just too cute. She puts her hand on her chest and says "mine... momma, mine... Laineybaby" She is quite the independant soul. She knows exactly what she does and does not want and although she is beginning to throw tantrums, they haven't gotten too bad yet (knock on wood). All I can say is that she is just stinkin cute!!! School is, well, school. I am glad it is on the downhill slope and hopefully I'll survive the rest of my first year! Josh is staying really busy with Sundance Film Festival again this year, but he really enjoys his job- Hope everyone is doing well!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, to Disneyland We Go! (Well, went...)

For the Porter Family Vacation this year, we went to the 'place of a million dreams' (Which is a little bit exaggerated if you ask me. I only realized 3 dreams: go to Disneyland with my little family, meet the princesses, and look Johnny Depp in the eyes- well a figure of him as Jack Sparrow anyway... and one nightmare: my wedding ring was stolen out of our hotel room by the maid...) We were there for 5 days and loved every minute of it!

Lainey was way excited for her first plane ride:

Here she's reading up on the emergency directions:We met some fun characters (these are just a few):

She loved the princesses, I think we met every one. She would take her autograph book right up to them and practically sit on their lap. It was so cute! We ate breakfast in Goofy's Kitchen- That killed all resolve I had to stick to my weightwatchers plan on our trip...
Lainey loved all the rides that she went on. The teacups and carousels were her favorite I think:


Josh's dream store (second to the Jeep Dealership:)

She got 5 whole days with mom and dad,And we played every minute of it!

But I think she had a good time......don't you?

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Giving Thanks

Being the time of year that it is, I can't help thinking of all of our blessings, reminiscing, and getting a little too excited for Christmas. It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is next week, but I am all too ready for a good long break from school. Teaching has really helped me see just how blessed I was to be born into the family I was, to be raised the way I was, and yes... even grow up in Tropic. The church has played such a huge part in my life and I don't know where I would be without it. The blessing of a Temple Marriage is one that I hope I never take for granted. Today in class, a couple of boys started singing primary songs during 'workshop' and I didn't stop them, even though I should have. It was so sweet to hear those tender messages in the middle of my crazy day, I just let them sing on since no one else complained.
I am convinced of the power of prayer. I know that the Lord gives us what we need. I overheard a talk the other day about praying for what we need. The Lord doesn't give us scorpions when we ask for eggs, he doesn't give us a stone when we ask for bread, so why do we complain when our 'eggs' aren't cooked the way we like? The Lord gives us what we need, not necessarily what we want. We should be praying in a way that aligns our will with his. Only then will we be truly at peace and on the right path. Anyways... I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving, fun with family, and that we all can realize and give thanks for our blessings.

Trick-or-Treat!

Halloween was fun this year! We were a fairy-tale family- The kids at school loved my costume, it was fun to be dressed up the whole day- except for the glass slippers!

My Prince Charming...

I had a lot of fun making our costumes! I used my prom dress, but I made Lainey's and Josh's costume.

The 'Charming' family

The girly girls...

Lainey loved Trick-or-Treating! She would take her bucket, knock on the door, and everyone gave her tons of candy because she was so cute! It was a lot of fun and the weather was awesome!

We've done a lot since the last post, and we wanted to share at least a little of what our life is in pictures. Grandpa Evans Passed away on October 18. He left a big hole in our family that will be hard to fill. Ever since I can remember, I have wanted Grandpa to know who I married and my kids. Josh had the opportunity to get to know Grandpa first hand while he lived with them for the 3 months before we were married. He learned how to get hay, ride up to 'Little' and open gates, and he also learned that "that which does not kill us makes us stronger" Grandpa always had a comment about the size of Josh's feet, calling them skis, or saying "Well, it takes a bigger foundation to build a Temple than an outhouse!" Grandpa Evans worked in the Temple with Josh's grandpa Max, so they had a special connection there. When Lainey was born, Grandpa insisted on coming to visit and bring us dinner (It had to be on a Tuesday because that was the day you could get a chicken fried steak meal for $2.99 from KFC) It was so sweet to see how tender Grandpa was with Lainey. I am so grateful that he was as much a part of our lives as he was. He was a great man and will be greatly missed... So if you live in Southern Utah and you see the big bull... think of my Grandpa- The original cowboy "On Top of Ol' Brian Head...."

Getting wood by Tropic Resevoir... Josh was happy to be reunited with his old jeep for a day...

A trip to the Zoo (sometime in September...)

Bling Time!

So, because I didn't think I had enough on my plate, I started making interchangeable watch bands that are way cute and really fun. I have set up a blog that has all the info and pictures and everything. Check it out and let me know what you think! Its http://bling-time.blogspot.com Oh, and remember Christmas is coming ;)